Optometer.



PATENTED JAN. 13. 1903.,

E. P. WAITS. OPTOMETER. APPLICATION FILED JU LY.25, 1902.

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. Wifzjesses PATENTED JAN. 13,1903. .E. P. WAITS.

OPTOMETER..

APPLIQATION FILED JULY 25, 1902..

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ERNEST F. WAITS, OF CORINTH, MISSISSIPPI.

OPTOM ETER.

SPEGIFIGATIQN forming part of Letters Patent No. 718,293, dated January13, 1903.

Application filed July 25, 1902. Serial No. 116,996. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern/.-

Be it known that I, ERNEST F. WAITS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Corinth, in the county of Alcorn and State of Mississippi,have invented a new and useful Optometer, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to certain improvements in devices for testing theeyes for hypermetropy, myopia, and similar defects of vision, and hasfor its principal object to provide a convenient device of thischaracter in which a comparatively small number of lenses may beemployed singly or in combination to present an extremely large numberof lenses of varying strength, the mechanism being so arranged andgraduated that a simple cylindrical or spherical lens or any combinationof the two may be presented in alinement with a visual opening, throughwhich the patient may inspect type or other testing devices of ordinarycharacter.

A further object of the invention is to so arrange the mechanism as toprovide for the measurement of the angle of lens best suited forparticular defects of vision, as in the correction of astigmatic andother troubles.

A further object of the invention is to provide a testing device whichmay be readily carried from place to place and adjusted to operativeposition, provision being made for the proper adjustment of the distanceof the test-type from the lenses in accordance with the light or for anyparticular test which may be desired.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists in the novelconstruction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described, illustratedin the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed outin theappended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1is a rear elevation of an optometer constructedin accordance with my invention, the hinged rear wall of the casingbeing removed in order to more clearly illustrate the construction. Fig.2 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the device on the line 2 2 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the apparatus, illustrating thesame as mounted on a fixed wall-bracket to permit adjustment from andtoward the wall or other support.

Similar numerals of reference are employedto indicate correspondingparts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, 10 indicates a suitable casing in'which allof the testing tudinally-disposed slot 14, through which extends aclamping-screw 15 to permit adjustment of the relative positions of theslide and cover, the screw being provided with a milled knob whichmay beturned to clamp the slide in any position to which it may be adjusted.To the outer end of the slide.

is pivotally connected a plate 16, forming a support on which may beplaced cards bearing the ordinary test-type or other testing deviceswhich-it may be desired to employ, and the construction of the slide andcover is such as to permit of the adjustment of the type-carrying plateto any desired distance from the lenses. For convenience in folding thetypecarrying plate said plate is provided with an opening 17 for thereception of the head of the screw 15 when the parts are folded to theposition shown in dotted lines, and a suitable catch or locking deviceof any ordinary character may be employed toretain the cover in theclosed position while the optometer is being carried from place toplace.

At the central portion of the front wall of the casing is an opening forthe reception of a tube 20, the rear end of which extends somewhatbeyond the inner face of the wall and the outer end of said tube beingprovided with a flaring or funnelshaped portion to which the eye isapplied during the testing operation. v

On the inner end of thetube 20 is mounted a revoluble arm 21, slightlyspaced from the inner face of'the wall by a fixed collar 22 andmaintained in position on the tube by an an nular flange 23. The armterminates at one end in a pointer 24, which travels over a semicircularscale 25, divided into degrees from naught to one hundred and eighty,inclusive, there being a suitable operating pin or knob 26secured to thearm and permitting its adjustment to any angular position.

The arm 21 is provided with two pins or studs 27 and 28, on which aremounted disks 29 and 30, respectively, the disk 29 being provided withan annular series of openings in all of which, with one exception, arearranged cylindrical lenses 31 of graduated strength, there being,preferably, a plurality of plus lenses and a plurality of minus lenses,the two sets of lenses being arranged in two series each occupying aboutone-half of the annular row of openings and the disk being provided withdesignating marks adjacent to each lens to indicate the strength of thelens. The disk may be readily turned to present the opening or any oneof the lens-carrying openings in alinement with the tube 20, so that thepatient may inspect the type carried by the type-plate 16 through anyone of said lenses, and one lens after another may be adjusted toposition until a suitable lens is found, the number of said lensindicating the defect and the glasses most suitable for the patient. Inorder to properly center each lens in alinement with the opening and tomaintain the same in proper position, the inner face of the disk isprovided with a row of notches 32, one of which is arranged in radialalinement with each of the lenses, and the arm 21 is provided with aspring-detent 33, adapted to engage in said notches. A second disk 30 isalso provided with an annular row of openings, all of which, with oneexception, are provided with double-convex lenses 34, any one of whichmay be moved into alinement with the tube 20 and the disk being providedwith designating data to indicate the value or strength of each lens.The unobstructed openings in the two disks permit of the presentation ofany single cylindrical or any single double-convex lens in alinementwith the tube 20, and if no single lens of either class is foundsufficient to remedy the defect of vision any combination of sphericaland double-convex lenses may be tried until the desired result isaccomplished.

In order to increase the number of combinations possible, I employ apivoted arm 35, having any desired number of openings in which arearranged a number of lenses 36, the arm being mounted on the pivot-screw37, which may be clamped in position by a milled nut 38. This arm may beadjusted to present any one of its lenses in alinement with the tube 20or it may be moved down out of the way to the position indicated in Fig.1.

When a lens of the proper strength has been found,itthenbecomesdesirableto measure the axis of the lens most suitable to thepatient, and this is accomplished by gradually turn ing the arm 21 untilthe proper angle is reached, this angle being indicated on the scale 25by means of the pointer 24.

The device as described is so arranged and constructed that it may beconveniently carried from place to place; but when used in an office orhospital the casing may be mounted on a slotted bracket 40, secured to awall or other support carrying the test-type, the easing being capableof adjustment on i the bracket to any desired distance from the wall andthen clamped and retained in place by a thumb nut and screw 41.

While the construction herein described and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings is the preferred form of the device, it is obviousthat various changes in the form, proportions, size, and minor detailsof the structure may be made without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. The combinationin an optometer, of the casing,acentrally-disposed tube carried thereby,an arm pivotally mounted on said tube and carrying a hand or pointer, adegree-scale over which the hand or pointer may be moved, a plurality ofrevoluble disks carried by the arm and each provided with an annularseries of openings movable into alinement with said tube, and lenses ofvarying strength mounted in said openings, there being an unobstructedopening in each of the disks to permit single lenses of either disk tobe employed for testing.

2. The combination in an optometer, of the casing, a tube carriedthereby, an arm pivoted to said tube and provided at one end with a handor pointer and an operating pin or knob, a degree-scale over which thehand or pointer may be moved, pivot-studs carried by said arm, revolublelens-carrying disks mounted on the studs, an annular row of lensesdisposed in each disk and movable into alinement with the tube, anddetents carried by the arm for engaging and holding the disks inadjusted position.

3. The combination in an optometer, of the casing, a tube carriedthereby, an arm pivoted on said tube, a plurality of lens-carrying disksrevolubly mounted on the arm, an auxiliary lens-carrying arm pivotallymounted and movable to present any one of its lenses in alinement withthe tube, and means for clamping said lens-carrying arm in adjustedposition, substantially as specified.

4. The combination in an optometer, of the casing having an adjustablerear wall, a slotted slide carried thereby and adjustable with relationthereto, a test-type-carrying plate hinged to said slide, and aplurality of testing-lenses arranged at the front portion of the casing,substantially as specified.

5. The combination in an optometer, of the casing having a hinged rearwall or cover 12, a slide 13 mounted on said cover and provided with alongitudinal slot 14, a clamping-screw 15 passing through the slot andadapted to clamp the slide in adjusted position, a testtype-carryingplate 16 hinged to the outer end of the slide and provided with anopening for the reception of the clamping-screw when the parts arefolded together, a tube 20 arranged at the front of the casing andprovided with a flaring outer end, an arm 21 pivotally mounted on saidtube at a point within the casing, an annular flange 23 formed on thetube and serving to confine the arm in position, a hand or pointer 24disposed at one end of the arm, a degreescale 25 over which the hand orpointer may be moved, an operatingpin 26 carried by the arm, pivot-studscarried by said arm, lens-carrying disks 29 and 30 mounted on the studsand provided with an annular series of lenses movable into alinementwith the tube 20, each of the disks having an unobstructed opening topermit the adjustment of single lenses to a position in

